JP2003075187A - Road guidance device, program, and portable terminal device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] To automatically calculate a user's geographical familiarity in a region in a pedestrian guide device, and generate route and route guidance information based on the calculated familiarity. By doing, gentle and easy-to-understand directions are provided. SOLUTION: An input unit 1 inputs information of a departure place and a destination for which route guidance is desired. The geographic familiarity calculation unit 4 acquires the current position of the user 7 as position information at a predetermined timing, accumulates the acquired position information together with time information, and uses the accumulated position information and time information to determine the departure point. And the geographic familiarity of the user 7 at the destination. The route search unit 5 searches for a route from the departure point to the destination in consideration of the calculated geographical familiarity, based on the map information stored in the map information storage unit 3. The guidance information generating unit 6 generates guidance information according to the calculated user familiarity. The generated guidance information is presented to the user 7 by the presentation unit 2.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a route guidance device such as a portable terminal having a route guidance function for pedestrians, and more particularly to a route guidance device and a program and a portable terminal device in consideration of geographical familiarity.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the spread of mobile phones and PDAs, pedestrian route guidance services using these mobile terminals have come into wide use. Many of these terminals have a function of acquiring the current position as a basic function, and some of this type of route guidance service can omit the input of the current position due to the above function. However, there is no route guidance service that considers the geographical understanding of users, that is, how many times they have visited the same place in the past, how many times they used the same station, and whether or not they have a sense of land.

On the other hand, as a kind of this type of route guidance service, a system (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-297035) is proposed in which the route guidance method is changed according to the driver's familiarity with intersections. This method is intended for vehicle route guidance, and stores intersections that the vehicle has passed, the number of times it has passed, previously set routes, etc., and changes the route guidance method based on these. It was done like this.

[0004]

However, since the above-mentioned conventional route guidance system is a system for storing that a particular intersection or route has been passed or the number of times of passing,
Although it can be realized to some extent for vehicles whose passage route is limited, it is difficult to apply it to a pedestrian route guidance system. Pedestrian walking paths generally include far more detailed and diverse routes than the roads on which vehicles pass, such as back alleys and specific entrances and exits at stations. This is because it is difficult to remember the number of passages.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is possible to present appropriate route guidance information based on the user's geographical familiarity in the area, and as a route guidance for pedestrians. It is an object to provide a suitable route guidance device and program, and a mobile terminal device.

[0006]

In order to solve the above problems, a route guidance device according to the present invention generates at least route guidance information from a departure place to a destination and presents it to a user. It has an input means for inputting information of a destination for which route guidance is desired, a position information acquisition means for acquiring the current position of the user as position information at a predetermined timing, and a position information storage means for storing the acquired position information. However, the geographical familiarity calculation means for calculating the geographical familiarity of the user in at least one of the departure place and the destination by using the position information accumulated in the position information accumulating means, and the calculated user It is characterized by further comprising: route guide information generating means for generating the route guide information according to familiarity; and presenting means for presenting the generated route guide information to the user. .

Further, the route guidance program according to the present invention is
The step of inputting information of at least the destination for which route guidance is desired, the current position of the user as position information is acquired at a predetermined timing, the acquired position information is accumulated, and the accumulated position information is used. Calculating a geographical familiarity level of the user at at least one of a departure point and a destination; generating route guidance information according to the calculated user familiarity level; and the generated route guidance. Presenting information to the user.

Further, the portable terminal device according to the present invention is a portable terminal device having a route guidance function for generating route guidance information from a place of departure to a destination and presenting it to the user. A geographical position of the user at at least one of the departure place and the destination is obtained by using input means for inputting information of the place and position information indicating the position of the user at the timing acquired and accumulated at a predetermined timing. Geographical familiarity calculating means for calculating familiarity, guide information generating means for generating guide information according to the calculated familiarity of the user, and presenting the generated guide information to the user. And a presenting means.

According to the present invention, the current position of the user is acquired at a predetermined timing, and this is stored as position information, and based on the stored position information, the destination or the like to be the target of route guidance is identified. Since the familiarity level is calculated, the familiarity level of the target site reflects the frequency of visits by the user, and it is possible to present an appropriate route guide according to the familiarity level. According to the present invention, since the simple method of simply accumulating the information of the current position at a predetermined timing is used, the user may follow any route different from a specific predetermined intersection or route. Also, the geographical familiarity can be accurately estimated.

The position information may be not only the information on the point where the user is, but also the information on the area having a certain range.
This area may be an administrative division or an area divided into a grid. The input means may input the departure place in addition to the destination, but the departure place may be inputted by acquiring the current position by the position detection function. When the route search means is provided, the searched route can be changed according to the calculated familiarity. In this way, for users with low familiarity, even if the distance is a little long,
It presents an easy-to-understand route along a large road and presents back road (short-cut) information to a user with a high level of familiarity, even if it is a little difficult to understand. is there.

The geographic familiarity calculation means further comprises time acquisition means for simultaneously acquiring the current time as time information when acquiring the current position, and the acquired position information and time information are stored in association with each other. It is also possible to calculate the geographical familiarity level using the accumulated position information and time information. More specifically, for example, the geographic familiarity calculation means,
Position information located near the starting point, transit point, or destination is extracted from the position information storage means, and familiarity is calculated based on at least one of the number of extracted position information and the number of days when the position information was acquired. To do. As a result, the familiarity level can be calculated in consideration of a case where a certain place is intensively visited, or a case where the number of days is large. Further, the geographic familiarity calculation means extracts position information located in the vicinity of the starting point, transit point or destination from the position information accumulating means, and acquires the last acquired position information of the extracted position information. The familiarity may be reduced as the time from the time to the present increases. As a result, it is possible to consider that even at a place that has been visited many times in the past, the familiarity is lowered due to the fading of the memory or the change of the surrounding environment with the passage of time.

[0012] Further, the user cannot understand only the route guidance information generated by the route guidance information generating means, and may request further guidance information, for example, addition of a more detailed map or landmarks in the vicinity. Conceivable. In this case, it is one guide to know that the user's familiarity at the point is not so high. Therefore, when a request for additional guidance information is input, the additional guidance is executed, the execution history of the additional guidance is stored, and the additional guidance is executed when the familiarity calculation unit calculates the familiarity. The geographical familiarity may be calculated with reference to the history.

Further, when there are a plurality of entrances / exits at a station, which entrance / exit is to be guided becomes an important point when pedestrians are guided. Therefore, if the familiarity level of the station is less than or equal to a predetermined value, select one optimal entrance from among a number of pre-selected representative easy-to-understand entrances, and the familiarity level at that station will be the predetermined value. Is greater than
You may make it select one optimal entrance from all the entrances. Further, a station entrance familiarity degree calculating means may be provided to calculate the familiarity degree of each entrance and exit, and the optimal route may be determined in consideration of the familiarity degree at each entrance and exit.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a route guidance device according to a first embodiment. The route guidance device of this embodiment is P
It is built into a mobile terminal such as a DA or a mobile phone,
The input unit 1, the presentation unit 2, the map information storage unit 3, the geographical familiarity calculation unit 4, the route search unit 5, and the route guidance information generation unit 6 are provided. The input unit 1 is used by the user 7 who uses the route guidance device to perform various input operations by key operations or dial operations, and is composed of input keys, input dials, and the like. The user 7 specifies the destination or the place of departure and the destination through this input unit. Further, a passing place on the way may be additionally input. Presentation section 2
Is composed of at least one of a display and a speaker, and presents the route guidance information created by the route guidance information generation unit 6 by at least one of a character string, an image, and a voice. The map information storage unit 3 stores map information, which is basic data such as road network data and landmark data, which is basic data for generating a map along a route guide sentence and a route. The geographic familiarity degree calculation unit 4 calculates the geographic familiarity degree of the user 7 in at least one of the starting point, the destination point, and the passing point. The route search unit 5 determines the familiarity level of the user 7 based on the position information of the departure place, the destination, or the passing place and the road network data read from the map information storage unit 3 corresponding to these position information. The route search from the considered starting point to the destination is executed. The route guidance information generation unit 6 generates route guidance information for the route based on the searched route, map information, and the calculation result of the geographic familiarity calculation unit 4. The generated information includes a detailed map, a simplified map, or a guide text.

FIG. 2 shows a procedure for performing route guidance in the route guidance device of this embodiment. The program defining this execution procedure may be installed in the route guidance device of this embodiment from the beginning, or may be stored in a medium or the like and provided for installation by the user in a PDA or the like. This procedure is activated by the user 7 invoking the execution of directions. First, the starting point and the destination are input via the input unit (step 1). At this time, if at least one of the starting point and the destination is a station, the station can be explicitly designated. It is not necessary to input the departure place. In this case, the nearest station of the current position may be automatically selected by using the current position acquisition function, which will be described later, installed in the apparatus. Note that this input operation is performed in a state where a map of the area including the departure point and the destination is displayed on the display screen of the route guidance device, that is, the display screen of the presenting unit 2, based on the map information. It may be done by specifying the starting point and the destination using the cursor, pen, keys, etc., or by selecting the starting point and the destination from the list of landmarks, address names, etc. good.

Next, the geographic familiarity calculation unit 4 calculates the geographic familiarity at the starting point and the destination (step 2). The geographic familiarity is a numerical representation of the user's understanding of each divided area on the map. The larger the numerical value, the higher the degree of understanding in that area. This area may be, for example, an administrative division or an area centered on a station. Alternatively, as shown in FIG.
It may be a region divided into a lattice shape. A familiarity level is set for each of these areas based on the personal information of the user, that is, the home address, work address, commuting route, station used for commuting, and the like. It should be noted that this familiarity degree may be automatically set by using the present position acquisition function mounted on this device. The configuration and operation procedure of the geographic familiarity degree calculation unit 4 according to the latter method will be described later.

Next, the route search section 5 searches for a route from the starting point to the destination in consideration of the geographical familiarity (step 3). As a result, route data represented by the node 11 and the arc 12 from the starting point to the destination as shown in FIG. 4 is obtained. The node 11 is a branch point of the road network, and exists at an intersection or a corner, for example. The arc 12 is a line such as a road connecting the nodes 11 to each other. The node 11 is I, as shown in FIG.
It can be represented by items such as D (numerical value), position (X, Y), name (character string), number of arcs to be connected (numerical value), and arc ID array (numerical value array). Arc 12
For example, as shown in FIG. 5B, it is represented by items such as an ID (numerical value), a start point position (X0, Y0), an end point position (X1, Y1), a name (character string), and a road width (numerical value). can do. When a plurality of arcs 12 are connected to one node 11, a plurality of arcs 12 connected to the node 11 can be extracted, or from the arc 12 to the node 11 and from the node 11 to the arc 12. By tracing, a series of road line segments can also be traced. A specific route search method will be described later.

Next, the route guidance information generation unit 6 generates route guidance information based on the geographical familiarity obtained in step 2, the route data obtained in step 3, and the map information ( Step 4). At least one of a simplified map, a detailed map, and a guide text is generated as the guide information. A specific method of generating route guidance information will be described later. Finally, the presentation unit 2 presents the route guidance information generated in step 4 using at least one of an image, a character string, and a voice (step 5). With the above procedure, the route guidance information in this embodiment is created.

Next, the configuration and operation procedure of the geographic familiarity calculation unit 4 using the present position acquisition function mounted on this apparatus will be described. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of the geographic familiarity degree calculation unit 4. Geography familiarity calculation unit 4
Sends a signal to the position information acquisition unit 41 that acquires the current position, the time acquisition unit 42 that acquires the current time, and the time acquisition unit and the position information acquisition unit at preset time intervals to perform these operations. An interrupt timer 43 to be activated, a position information storage unit 44 for storing the acquired position information, and a geographic knowledge for calculating the geographic familiarity degree of a point to be calculated based on the position information stored in the position information storage unit 44. And a degree calculation unit 45.

The geographic familiarity calculation unit 45 has two operations, that is, an operation of accumulating position information triggered by the interrupt timer 43 and an operation of calculating geographic familiarity at the time of executing route guidance. First, the operation of accumulating the former positional information is shown in FIG.
Will be explained.

First, the interrupt timer 43 to the time acquisition unit 42
And a signal is sent to the position information acquisition unit 41 (step 1
1). The signal interval depends on the size of the position information storage unit 44. Normally, a value such as 5 to 10 minutes is used.
Next, the position information acquisition unit 41 having received the signal immediately acquires the current position (step 12). The current position can be acquired using a position information acquisition function such as GPS, PHS, or a mobile phone, but the method for acquiring the current position is not limited to these. Therefore, another method, for example, a position information acquisition function using Bluetooth (trademark) may be used. It suffices if the current position can be acquired by some method.

Next, the time acquisition unit 42 that receives the signal
Immediately obtains the current time (step 13). The acquired position information and the current time are recorded as a set in the position information storage unit 44 (step 14). FIG. 8 shows an example of recorded information. The information recorded is, for example, I
D, latitude, longitude (all numerical values) and time (time type)
Etc. The ID is a value added to identify the accumulated position information, and a unique value is set for each information.
Although the position information is represented by latitude and longitude in this example, another coordinate system may be used as long as the position can be specified later. Depending on the surrounding conditions, the position may not be specified due to the fact that GPS cannot be used. In that case, information indicating that is recorded in the current position column. For example, -1 may be recorded. Then interrupt timer 43
Waits for a preset time (step 1
5). After that, the process returns to step 11, and the series of processes described above is repeatedly executed. The operation of accumulating the position information is executed as described above.

Next, another operation of the geographic familiarity degree calculation unit 4, that is, an operation of calculating the geographic familiarity degree at the time of executing route guidance will be described with reference to FIG. First, the data in the vicinity of the point where the familiarity degree is calculated is extracted from the position information storage unit 44 (step 2
1). The determination as to whether or not it is in the vicinity is made by whether or not it is within a preset reference distance. Next, the number of the retrieved data and the number of days of visiting the calculation point vicinity are counted from the time of each of the retrieved data (step 22). Then, the function is executed by using the counted number as an argument. The familiarity level at the point is calculated, for example, according to the following formula 1 (step 23).

[0024]

[Equation 1] A = F (n, m) = K1 × n + K2 × m A: Familiarity K1, K2: constant n: total number of retrieved data m: Number of days visited

Here, if the value of K1 is set to be larger than that of K2, the number of days visited is small, but the familiarity A when intensively or continuously visiting the same place in a short period becomes large, If K2 is set to be larger than K1, the familiarity degree A becomes larger as the number of days visited such as passing every day becomes larger than the number of times or duration of the visit.

Next, the time (number of days) from the date and time of the last visit to the present is obtained (step 24), and it is checked whether the time is within a preset standard (step 25). If it is not within the standard, the familiarity is corrected according to the time (step 26). For example, the correction value is calculated by the following equation 2.

[0027]

## EQU2 ## A '= G (A, d) = A-g (d) A ′: Corrected familiarity A: Familiarity before correction K3: constant d: Time (days) from the date and time of the last visit to the present g (d) = K3 × d (when K3 × d ≦ A) = A (when K3xd> A)

As the number of days elapses, the memory and the surrounding conditions change, so g (d) may change non-linearly. The operation for calculating the geographic familiarity is executed as described above.

Next, the operation procedure of the route search section 5 will be described with reference to FIG. First, it is checked whether the departure place is a station (step 31). The determination as to whether or not the departure place is a station may be made directly by the user at the time of designation in the input unit 1, or automatically determined by comparing the position information designated as the departure place and the station position information. It doesn't matter. If the departure point is a station, next step 3
2 proceeds to step 36 if not at station. In step 32, it is checked whether or not there is a plurality of entrances / exits at the station of departure. This can be easily realized by giving the station data in advance the number of entrances and exits and their positions. If there are a plurality of exits, the process proceeds to the next step 33, and if not, the process proceeds to step 35. In step 33, it is checked whether the familiarity of the departure place is less than or equal to a preset standard. If it is less than the reference value, the process proceeds to the next step 34, and if it exceeds the reference value, the process proceeds to step 35.

At step 34, the departure point is obtained from the entrances and exits prepared in advance for each station, for example, a typical easy-to-understand entrance. The starting point is obtained by comprehensively judging from the destination and the route to the destination, but a method of simply selecting the doorway closest to the destination may be used. After step 34, the process proceeds to step 36. In step 35, the departure point is obtained from all the entrances and exits, including the difficult entrance and exit of the station. Similar to step 34, the departure point may be comprehensively determined from the destination and the route to the destination, or may be simply determined based on whether it is the closest to the destination. As a result, when the familiarity level of the station is small, a doorway that is easy to understand even if it is a little detour is selected, and when the familiarity level of the station is large, for example, a doorway that is difficult to understand is selected. From step 32 to step 3
In the case of branching into 5, that is, when there is only one entrance, the entrance is used as the starting point. After step 35, the process proceeds to step 36.

In step 36, it is checked whether the destination is the station.
The determination as to whether the destination is a station is the same as the determination at step 31. If the destination is a station, go to the next step 37,
If it is not a station, go to step 41. In step 37, it is checked whether or not the destination station has a plurality of doorways. Similar to step 32, it can be easily realized by previously providing the station data with the number of entrances and exits and their respective positions. If there are a plurality of entrances / exits, the process proceeds to the next step 38, and if not, the process proceeds to step 40. In step 38, it is checked whether the familiarity of the destination is less than or equal to a preset standard. If it is less than the reference value, the process proceeds to the next step 39, and if it exceeds the reference value, the process proceeds to step 40.

At step 39, the destination is determined from the entrances prepared in advance for each station, for example, typical easy-to-understand entrances. The destination is comprehensively determined from the starting point and the route from the starting point, but a method of simply selecting the doorway closest to the starting point may be used. After step 39, the process proceeds to step 41. At step 40, the destination is obtained from all the entrances and exits including the incomprehensible entrance and exit of the station. As in the case of step 39, the method of determination may be comprehensively determined from the starting point and the route to the starting point, or may be simply determined based on whether or not the point is closest to the starting point. As a result, when the familiarity level of the station is small, a doorway that is easy to understand even if it is a little detour is selected, and when the familiarity level of the station is large, for example, a doorway that is difficult to understand is selected. From step 37 to step 4
When it branches to 0, that is, when there is only one entrance, the entrance is the destination. After step 40, the process proceeds to step 41.

In step 41, a region for route search is determined from the positions of the starting point and the destination. The area may be set as a rectangular area including both points, or may be set as the sum of rectangles centered on each point on a straight line connecting the area points. The point is that the method does not matter as long as the area including the road line segment necessary for calculating the route between the departure point and the destination can be set. Step 4
After 1, the process proceeds to step 42. In step 42, the road segment within the area obtained in step 41 is thinned out according to the familiarity of the departure place and the destination (step 42).
As the thinning method, attributes such as road type and road width that are set in advance for the road segment are used, and if the familiarity is less than a predetermined value, it is judged that it is difficult to understand a private road, alley, or a road with a small road width. If the familiarity is higher than a predetermined value, the amount of thinning out is reduced. This makes it possible to preferentially seek a wide and easy-to-understand road in an area with low familiarity, and preferentially seek a shortcut even if it is difficult to understand when the familiarity is high. After step 42, the process proceeds to step 43. In step 43, the route from the starting point to the destination is searched using the road line segment in the area. As the search method, for example, Dijkstra's method known as an algorithm for solving the shortest path can be used. Of course, it is possible to use other route search methods,
In short, it is only necessary to be able to search for some route that connects the starting point and the destination. The operation in the route search unit 5 is executed as described above.

When the route search unit 5 has searched for a route from the starting point to the destination, the route guidance information generating unit 6 then generates route guidance information. The route guidance information unit 6 indicates the route from the starting point to the destination by overwriting the route searched by the route searching unit 5 on the map information stored in the map information storage unit 3 with, for example, a red line. The guide information is generated and the necessary guide text is generated. At this time, the route guidance information is generated in consideration of the familiarity with the departure place, the destination, or the passing place in correspondence with the process in the route search unit 5. For example, if the familiarity is less than a predetermined value, the private roads and alleys thinned out during the route search, or roads with a small road width are deleted from the map information,
The map information to be displayed is simplified by limiting landmarks to those that stand out. At the same time, as the guide text, an easy-to-understand guide text centering on the prominent landmark is generated. On the other hand, when the familiarity is higher than the predetermined value, the detailed private roads and alleys which are the search targets at the time of the route search are also displayed, and the number of landmarks is increased to make the displayed map information more detailed. At the same time, a detailed guide text including landmarks that are not so noticeable is generated. By presenting this map information in the presentation unit 2, the user is presented with guidance information according to the familiarity level. On the contrary, when the familiarity is higher than the predetermined value, the landmark is also limited to a typical one, and the route guidance information including the simple map information is generated as much as possible, and the familiarity is the predetermined value. In the following cases, the number of landmarks and roads to be presented may be increased more than this to generate route guidance information including detailed map information.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 11 shows a schematic configuration of the second embodiment. The route guidance device of the present embodiment has a configuration in which an additional guidance execution unit 8 and an additional guidance execution history storage unit 10 are added to the configuration of the route guidance device of the first embodiment. Upon receiving the request for additional guidance from the input unit 1, the additional guidance execution unit 8 presents additional guidance information. The presentation of the additional guidance information here means, for example, information that is more detailed than the presented route guidance information, specifically, a more detailed route or a target object (landmark) to be presented along the route. For example, increase the number and present detailed maps of points on the route. Further, a guidance message for passage may be presented. The additional guidance history storage unit 9 includes the additional guidance execution unit 8
The execution history of is stored in the structure shown in FIG. As a result, it is possible to know the number of times of additional guidance performed in the past in the vicinity of a certain point, the time at which the additional guidance was performed, and the familiarity level at the time of implementation.

Next, the operation of the route guidance device of this embodiment will be described. The operation of this embodiment is almost the same as that of the route guidance device of the first embodiment except that additional guidance can be executed, but the operation of the geographic familiarity degree calculation unit 4 is partly different from that of the first embodiment. ing. FIG. 13 shows the operation of the geographic familiarity degree calculation unit 4 in the second embodiment. Steps 51 to 56 are the same as the operations from step 21 to step 26 of the geographic familiarity degree calculation unit 4 in the first embodiment shown in FIG. Subsequent to step 56, in step 57, the additional guidance execution history near the point where the familiarity degree is calculated is retrieved from the additional guidance history storage unit 9, and the process proceeds to step 58.
In step 58, it is checked how many times the additional guidance has been executed after the date and time of the last visit. When the number of executions is 0, that is, when the execution has not been performed, the processing ends, and when the execution is performed once or more, the process proceeds to the next step 59. In step 59, it is checked whether the familiarity at the time of the final execution of the additional guidance is larger than the familiarity obtained up to step 56. If it is not larger, the process ends, and if it is larger, the process proceeds to the next step 60. In step 60, the familiarity level is corrected according to the number of times the additional guidance is executed. That is, if the current familiarity level is lower than the familiarity level at the time when the additional guidance was given last time, there is a high possibility that the additional guidance is executed this time, that is, the actual familiarity level is smaller than the calculated value. Presumed. In step 60, for example, the correction value is calculated by the following expression 3.

[0037]

[Equation 3] A ″ = H (A, n) = A−K4 × n A ″: corrected familiarity A: Familiarity before correction K4: constant n: Number of executions of additional guidance

The operation for calculating the geographical familiarity is executed as described above.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 14 shows a schematic configuration of the third embodiment. The route guidance device of the present embodiment has a configuration in which a station entrance familiarity degree calculation unit 10 is added to the configuration of the first embodiment. The station entrance / exit familiarity calculation unit 10 calculates the familiarity of the user 7 for each entrance / exit of the station from the position information of the station exits stored as map information and the result calculated by the geographic familiarity calculation unit 4. Work.

FIG. 1 shows the operation procedure of the route guidance device of this embodiment.
5 shows. Steps 61 to 62 are the same as the operation procedure in the first embodiment. In step 63, it is checked whether the departure point is the station. If the departure point is a station,
Proceed to next step 64, and if it is not a station, step 66
Proceed to. In step 64, it is checked whether the station has a plurality of entrances. As described in the first embodiment, this can be easily realized by previously providing the station data with the number of entrances and exits and their respective positions. If there are a plurality of entrances / exits, the process proceeds to the next step 65, and if not, the process proceeds to step 66. In step 65, the familiarity level at each entrance / exit is obtained. Basically, the familiarity at each entrance is
It can be obtained in the same manner as the familiarity at the starting point and the destination shown in Equation 1. However, in this case, the familiarity of the position is more detailed than the starting point and the destination, so when extracting the data in the vicinity of the point where the familiarity is calculated, the area of the area set as the neighborhood should be Centered at radius 5
The range of m needs to be set smaller than when the familiarity of the starting point and the destination is calculated. FIG. 16 shows an example in which the familiarity level of each entrance / exit at a certain station is obtained. Thus, even at the same station, different familiarity levels can be obtained depending on the entrances and exits. After step 65, the process proceeds to step 66.

In step 66, it is checked whether the destination is the station. If the destination is a station, proceed to the next step 67, and if not, proceed to step 69. Step 67
Then, check whether there is more than one entrance at the station. If there are a plurality of entrances / exits, the process proceeds to the next step 68, and if not, the process proceeds to step 69. In step 68, similarly to step 65, the familiarity at each entrance is obtained. After step 68, the process proceeds to step 69. The following steps 69 to 71 are similar to the procedure of steps 3 to 5 described in the first embodiment, and the route searching unit 5 searches for a route from the departure point to the destination (step 69), and then the route. The guidance information generation unit 6 generates the guidance information (step 70), and finally the presentation unit 2 presents the guidance information (step 71).
However, the route searching unit 5 compares the familiarity levels of the entrances of the first candidate, the second candidate, and the third candidate when selecting the optimal entrance / exit as a path, and one of the familiarity levels is higher than the others. If it is very high, the doorway is selected as the optimum doorway. As a result, the doorway that the user 7 is accustomed to can be included in the route.

[0042]

As described above, according to the present invention, by using the position information acquisition function generally used in a mobile terminal or the like and the input information of the current position or the destination by the user, By calculating the geographical familiarity of itself and generating the route and the route guidance information based on the calculated familiarity, it becomes possible to provide a pedestrian-friendly and easy-to-understand route guidance.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a route guidance device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of geographical familiarity defined in each area divided in a grid pattern.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a route from a starting point to a destination by a node and an arc.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a data structure of the same node and arc.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a geographic familiarity degree calculation unit in the same-way guidance device.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of position information accumulation in the geographic familiarity calculation unit.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a position information storage unit in the geographic familiarity calculation unit.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the geographic familiarity degree calculation unit.

FIG. 10A is a flowchart showing an example of route search using the same geographic familiarity.

FIG. 10B is a flowchart showing a process following that of FIG. 10A.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a route guidance device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of information accumulated in an additional guidance history storage unit in the same-way guidance device.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of a geographic familiarity degree calculation unit in the same route guidance device.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a route guidance device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15A is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the same-way guidance device.

FIG. 15B is a flowchart showing a process following that of FIG. 15A.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of familiarity level at each entrance / exit of a station.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Input unit, 2 ... Presentation unit, 3 ... Map information storage unit, 4 ... Geographic familiarity calculation unit, 5 ... Route search unit, 6 ... Route guidance information generation unit, 7 ... User, 8 ... Additional guidance execution unit, 9 ... Additional guidance execution history storage unit, 10 ... Station entrance familiarity calculation unit, 11 ... Node, 12 ... Arc, 41 ... Position information acquisition unit, 42 ... Time acquisition unit, 43 ... Interrupt timer, 44 ... Position information accumulation Department, 45 ... Geographic familiarity calculation unit.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) G06F 17/60 506 G06F 17/60 506 G08G 1/005 G08G 1/005 (72) Inventor Hiroaki Kubota Kanagawa Prefecture Komukai-shi, Kawasaki-shi, No. 1, Toshiba-cho F-term in Toshiba Research and Development Center (Reference) 2F029 AA07 AB07 AB13 AC02 AC06 AC08 AC18 AC20 5B075 KK07 KK13 KK33 KK37 KK40 ND06 ND20 ND22 ND23 PP02 PQ02 PQ04 PQ13 PR01 PR03 PR01 PR03 PR01 UU16 5H180 AA21 BB05 BB15 FF05 FF10 FF22 FF25 FF27 FF32

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A route guidance device for generating route guidance information from a starting point to a destination and presenting it to a user, at least input means for inputting information of a destination for which route guidance is desired, and a current position of the user. Position information acquisition means for acquiring the position information at a predetermined timing and position information storage means for storing the acquired position information, and using the position information stored in the position information storage means, the starting point and the purpose. Geographic familiarity calculation means for calculating the geographical familiarity of the user in at least one of the locations; route guidance information generation means for generating the route guidance information according to the calculated user familiarity; And a presenting means for presenting the obtained route guidance information to the user. 2. The route guidance device according to claim 1, further comprising route search means for searching a route from the starting point to the destination according to the calculated geographical familiarity. . 3. The geographic familiarity calculation means further comprises time acquisition means for acquiring the current time as time information when acquiring the current position, and the position information acquired by the position information acquisition means is acquired by the time acquisition means. 3. The position information accumulating means stores the time information together with the time information, and the familiarity degree is calculated using the position information and the time information accumulated in the position information accumulating means. Route guidance device 4. The geographic familiarity calculation means extracts position information located in the vicinity of the starting point or the destination from the position information storage means, and the number of the extracted position information and the position information thereof are acquired. The route guidance device according to claim 3, wherein the familiarity degree is calculated based on at least one of the number of days. 5. The geographic familiarity calculation means extracts position information located in the vicinity of the starting point or the destination from the position information storage means, and finally acquired position information among the extracted position information. The route guidance device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the familiarity degree is reduced as the time from the acquisition of the information to the present is longer. 6. The input means inputs a request for additional guide information to the guide information generated by the guide information generating means, and the request for additional guide information is input to the input means. Further includes an additional guidance execution unit that executes additional guidance when the input is input, and an additional guidance execution history storage unit that stores an execution history of the additional guidance by the additional guidance execution unit, and the geographic familiarity calculation unit. 6. The route guidance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the geographical familiarity is calculated according to the stored execution history of the additional guidance. 7. The route searching means, when a station having a plurality of doorways is set as a departure point or a destination and the geographical familiarity at the station is a predetermined value or less, If the optimal gateway is selected from the pre-selected gateways and a route is generated, and if the geographical familiarity at the station is larger than the predetermined value, then it is optimal from all the gateways at the station. The route guidance device according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that the route is selected by selecting an appropriate entrance / exit. 8. A station entrance / exit for calculating a familiarity level at each entrance / exit of the station based on the position information accumulated in the position information accumulating means when a station having a plurality of entrances / exits is set as a departure point or a destination. Further comprising familiarity degree calculating means, wherein the route searching means is to select an optimal entrance / exit from among the plurality of entrances / exits in consideration of the familiarity at each entrance / exit to generate a path. Claims 2 to 7
The route guidance device according to any one of 9. A mobile terminal device having a route guidance function of generating route guidance information from a departure place to a destination and presenting the route guidance information to a user, and an input means for inputting at least information of a destination for which route guidance is desired. , Geographic familiarity calculation for calculating the geographical familiarity of the user at at least one of the departure place and the destination using position information indicating the user's position at the timing acquired and accumulated at a predetermined timing Means, a guide information generating means for generating guide information according to the calculated familiarity of the user, and a presenting means for presenting the generated guide information to the user. Mobile terminal device. 10. A step of inputting information of at least a destination for which route guidance is desired, a current position of a user is acquired as position information at a predetermined timing, the acquired position information is accumulated, and the accumulated position information is accumulated. Calculating a geographical familiarity level of the user at least one of a starting point and a destination using position information; and generating route guidance information according to the calculated user familiarity level, A guide program for causing a computer to execute the step of presenting the generated guide information to the user.